


Six + 1

by TheSunTheStarsThePizza



Series: Mojave Blues [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Female Character, Dubious Consent, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Humiliation, Legion typical misogyny, NSFW, No Fluff, Non-Consensual Voyeurism, One-Sided Relationship, Out of Character, Pregnancy Kink, Secret Relationship, Smut, Unhealthy Relationships, for now, good karma courier, morally grey Vulpes, ooc Vulpes, post first edit later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-11-08
Packaged: 2019-01-19 06:49:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12405207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSunTheStarsThePizza/pseuds/TheSunTheStarsThePizza
Summary: Six is kind but also pragmatic. She's willing to go far to ensure a better future for New Vegas. When Vulpes makes her an offer she can and maybe should refuse, Six has to figure out what she can live with.





	1. Under Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> All aboard the garbage train.

The Mojave was like the beads of sweat making slow trails from the nape of her neck to the dimples of her lower back. It was everywhere, it was inescapable, it was a part of her inside and out. The sense of omnipresence it had in her life and soul went beyond her memory loss. With her past gone she would never be able to reconnect all the pieces, but she had a sense that the desert meant something to her before. There was no denying it meant something to her now. All her friends were there, her home at the Lucky 38, and her future. Everyone’s future. She hadn’t asked for power but she’d be damned if she would waste it. As she watched the sun set and the small campfire rise to take its place, she felt as sure as ever of her convictions and goals.

Six made a name for herself. Literally, by choosing Six to be her new and permanent name. But also figuratively. To begin with it was vengeance that fueled her, but she discovered herself to be a compassionate person. With no regret she let that kindness lead her all over the Mojave. Answers and revenge took the back burner. In the matter of only a handful of months she had become something of a guardian angel (an old cultural concept nobody entirely understood, but everyone somehow knew a little of) roaming the sands. Six was happy to help protect and maintain small communities however she could. This inevitably led to her earning her place in helping larger factions, like Freeside and the NCR. More places in the desert welcomed her than not. With a few exceptions. Six was also a name of terror and fury in certain mouths.

Boone was the first real friend she made outside of Goodsprings. While he seemed to go out of his way to be as impenetrable and miserable as possible, they bonded over a shared taste in whiskey and justice. Six didn’t have to have her memory to know that slavers and raiders deserved hot, fast bullets from her guns. They went out of their way to track down Legion and other violent groups who raped and murdered like there were no consequences. With his aim and her ferocity those assholes never stood a chance. As she picked up other companions along the way Six found that they were not the only two to share that sense of morality. So it came as no surprise to her that when the enemy tracked her down on the Strip, weapons were drawn and voices were raised.

It gave her a weird sense of pride, remembering how vehement they were in protecting her from any perceived threat. Her friends were her family, and they were as willing to fight for her as she was for them. Six smiled at the memory as she bit into a juicy hunk of roasted gecko meat. She was lucky their loyalty included standing down against their better judgement when she asked them to. Whatever happened, she had little choice but to scope out the situation and see this through. It’s as important to know enemies as it is friends.

“A denarius for your thoughts?”

Her travelling ‘companion’ pulled her out of her memories. Happier memories, better than present circumstances. He sat across the fire and waited for her to answer, as still and impermeable as stone. Same as he had been for days, except when he declared that he would be escorting her to Caesar and there would be no stopping him. Inculta had been a hell of a lot more animated when he demanded to know why she had ignored Caesar’s summon two months prior. But since then there had been few words exchanged between them. The trip felt eons longer with the tense yet lifeless truce between them.

She chewed on her thoughts and her dinner before asking him to share first. Why he was so interested in talking now, Six couldn’t pinpoint. But without a doubt it had something to do with the fact that Cottonwood Cove was a day away. She was familiar with its location because she and Boone slaughtered every last Legion soldier there.

At first the denial of an answer caused his curious stare to turn into a heated glare. But the sigh that followed sounded sincere. He dragged a dextrous looking hand down his face before settling on his stubble with a twinge of annoyance. The previous times she had seen him he had been entirely free of facial hair. She imagined the stubble was less a stylistic choice and more one of necessity. There had been an increase of NCR patrols out (thanks to her), delaying their arrival. Six was sure they wouldn’t know who he was or notice him with her there, but he didn’t want to take any risks. He rubbed along his jaw, the strong jawline that Six went out of her way not to notice, and then gave her his best approximation of sincerity.

“I am known for my many accomplishments,” Six rolled her eyes at that. “but in this I fear I am failing. Caesar told me to assess you and win you over.”

“If these past few days are representative of your charm skills, Spy Boy, then nobody has anything to fear from the Legion.” In normal conversation Six was almost always polite and friendly unless given a reason not to be. She had seen his handiwork more than once. He didn’t deserve any pleasantness from her. 

“I assure you, this is not.” He scoffed at her, seemingly more irritated by the hit on his ego than the stubble. It piqued her curiosity more than anything else had in days past.

“So why aren’t you ‘wooing’ me?” She took the final bite remaining on the bone and then tossed it away. The flames cast shadows on Inculta’s face and it made her nervous about whatever was about to come next.

“I having been debating with myself and waiting for Mars to give me a sign.” He finished his own food and placed the bone on the ground behind him.

“So has your god told you anything, Inculta? Perhaps your conscience? If you have one.” She smiled then, never one to resist a well-earned insult.

“Just because your concept of morality and mine do not always agree does not mean I do not feel anything.”

“I’m pretty sure we don’t have any common moral ground.” For all the things she had forgotten and will forget in the future, the pure terror she felt when she came across Nipton and first met him would never leave her brain.

“We do. You kill those you believe use violence unnecessarily. I do the same. It’s just that our views on what is necessary differ. I also find certain practices of my fellow brothers distasteful.” He shrugged as though it were so obvious and simple.

“I thought you had a raging hard on for Caesar.” 

“My loyalty to the cause and the son of Mars is unwavering. But I am not interested in forcing intercourse where it is unwanted.”

“You’re telling me that one of the leaders of the Mojave’s most notorious gang of misogynists is not a rapist?” Six found that hard to believe for a multitude of reasons. His moral compass seemed like a mess and he also didn’t strike her as the kind of person not to stick his dick somewhere when he wanted to. But her view of the latter was probably skewed after some conversations she had with Arcade about the more attractive folks they had met in their travels together.

“I only take the willing.” Six couldn’t tell if he sounded ashamed or offended. He was a tough nut to crack.

“A slave can’t give consent.”

Inculta wandered off somewhere out of sight and Six took that as the end of the conversation. When he returned after a few minutes she felt the intensity of his gaze still on her. Cleaning guns wasn’t an adequate distraction. It gave her confusing sensations. Warmth between her legs and a chill at the top of her spine all at once. Six tried to put the strange interaction out of her mind and instead focus on her next move towards making a better Mojave.

“Caesar did not ask me to rape you.”

“Wow. What a relief.” Her tone conveyed one thing but her dark brown eyes couldn’t disguise the shock she felt at his abrupt and creepy conversation opener. Six had removed her jacket earlier because it had been a particularly hot day, but she felt a strong urge to put it back on now.

“But he did imply that I should use any and every method to assure your loyalty. Or your submission.”

“Ah. Is this where that dilemma you’re having comes in?”

“There’s more.”

“Great.” Six nudged the sand around her boots to keep from squirming.

“Depending on my assessment when we arrive, Caesar could accept your loyalty. Provided some sort of evidence, of course.”

“Of course.” Six mocked his serious tone.

“Or he will demand punishment for ignoring his summons, and use that punishment to ensure your submission.”

“Goddammit Six. You could have listened to your friends and let them kill him in the streets, but nooooo, you just had to go alone into enemy fucking territory.” The only person she was mocking now was herself, without a trace of humour.

“From our brief interactions I knew your loyalty could not be bought with flirtatious touches or compliments to your intellect.” _Yeah none of it would mean shit coming from you, Spy Boy._ “And I don’t wish to see you…punished…for my failure.”

“That’s an oddly specific kind of honour you’ve got there.”

He scoffed and opened his second bottle of Nuka Cola for the night. Mr. Fox had a sweet tooth. His response sounded as tired of this whole situation as she felt. “High praise.” 

“Why are you telling me this? Why do you care?”

“There is a way we can help one another out. I can ensure your safety, and you can help me gain position over any of Caesar’s other successors.”

Six thought about pointing one of her guns at him the moment she began to suspect where this was going. She could blow his head off and run as far away as possible from Legion territory. Or she could take a big risk and get inside information. The type of information that could help win a war with a somewhat smaller cost in lives. Well, the lives of the good guys. So she put the gun down and sat up straighter, crossing her arms over her chest. At the very least she could hear him out and then decide whether or not to kill him.

“Why would I want to help you do that?”

“The Legion is powerful and far reaching. Arizona is ours. So much territory beyond just the Mojave. Winning the dam would guarantee a swift and unchallengeable expansion. Losing it would not prevent us from building up strength elsewhere and striking again. We are as immortal as the gods.”

“Hm.” Six didn’t view it that way. When the Legion were defeated there, it was only a matter of time before their twisted empire began to crumble. It would be easy to take over their home territory and put it in more responsible hands. But he didn’t need to know what she was thinking.

“Whoever Caesar’s successor is controls the fate of the Legion. Certain practices could be banned, laws could be changed.” He raised a dark brow, pushing her to ask though she knew he was going to tell her anyways.

“Like what?” She hated to even pretend to consider his offer, but she could see the potential usefulness of having a different Caesar.

“There are certain things about the Legion that cannot change. But I would allow for the right aspects to evolve. In some circumstances perhaps slaves could earn a lower tiered citizenship. Some women could be allowed more options than priestess or slave. We could strengthen our armies by using some of the old world medicine. Rape as punishment or sport would no longer be tolerated.” For the first time since Nipton he seemed to allow genuine enthusiasm to colour his features.

_What a paragon of progress._ Nonetheless Six couldn’t deny the ways that installing him as the ruler could spare the wasteland some pain in the immediate future. Taking out Caesar before the inevitable battle at the Hoover Dam would change a lot for the better. “How do I know this isn’t all just some elaborate ruse to trick me into siding with you?”

“You don’t.” His grin was as wide as vicious as a wolf’s snarl. _There’s the man I know and loathe._

“Why do you want to change anything?”

“Sustainability. If the Legion is never willing to bend in the wind, even our great empire will break on a strong enough gust.” It was a practical answer, not an empathetic one. That was something Six could believe. He was nothing if not a strategist, and so was she.

“So how do I factor into this?” _Here it comes._ Inculta left his side of the fire to sit closer to her. They had a clear view of one another as the sun dipped deeper beneath the sands. No shadows or flames to obstruct their view.

“None of Caesar’s potential successors have sons. No woman survives an encounter with Lanius long enough to produce him an heir. Lucius has not been able to conceive any despite his efforts.” 

Six gave a solemn nod at that. The world was so irradiated that kids were rare. She met more than a few people who were struggling to start families. The difficulty people faced only seemed to make them more eager to try. It’s the main reason she didn’t give the King a second night, and had become wary of Boone when he was in a _certain_ mood. People called her a black widow but she wasn’t the one trying to trap someone in her web.

He acknowledged her nod with the slightest shift of his features, and marched on. “I am very selective with my partners. Much more so than many others.” The implication was clear to Six. “Between slaves and the profligate women I must speak with in New Vegas, I have not found the right partner.”

“Are you really asking me to have your baby?!” This whole disaster of a mission was going far worse than Six had imagined. She leaned as far away as she could get from him on the worn down metal scrap that served as their seat.

“I am asking you to at least pretend to belong to me.”

“Belong to you? We’ve never had a real conversation and now you want…This is coming out of nowhere.”

“Is it really?”

Six didn’t want to try to match his stare anymore, or really dig in to whatever he meant by that.

“Okay. So let’s say I pretend to be your girlfriend-”

“My mate.”

“-your girlfriend, what would that involve?”

“You would have to stop calling me Inculta and ‘Spy Boy’ at the very least.” He hit her with that smirk that she and Cass definitely never talked about after splitting a bottle of something.

“You drive a hard bargain.” Sass was her coping mechanism when she couldn’t be kind or violent. It was either sarcasm or one continuous scream. 

“It is not unheard of for higher ranking men to seek out a woman from outside the Legion wife. I admit, the living conditions for slaves does not usually aid fertility.”

“Shocked. Just shocked.”

“Yes well, infertility through avoidable causes is something I will address.”

“So I just have to pretend to want to marry you and make mini spy boys until you’re in a position to take over?”

“More or less.”

“I’m going to need specifics.” More or less was a dangerously vague sentiment.

“I will not force you to marry me. After the battle at the dam and guarantee of my position, you will be free to do whatever you please. I would grant you more freedom than any woman has ever received under Legion rule.”

“But…?” Without a doubt there was a ‘but’ at the end of that.

“As I said before, Caesar will need proof.”

“How much proof are we talking?”

“You will need to sleep with me at least twice, and stay in my tent when you are at the Fort. You also cannot have sex with anyone else until this is all over. There are spies everywhere. For him to believe that I have claimed you, I will have to do so for the time being. And you will have to follow my lead without questioning me in front of anyone else.”

“You want to fuck me?” She couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice,

“Yes. Is that so hard to believe? You are not like anyone I have met before. You would give me powerful sons.”

“Okay back right up. You get, you fully understand, that this is just a business transaction.” _A dirty, shameful, sexy kind of business transaction._ But one nonetheless. “You can’t actually expect a real marriage or kids out of this. You can’t become obsessed with me, and you can’t expect me to develop feelings for you.”

She watched his jaw clench as she waited for his response. This couldn’t happen if there was the potential for it to get any more complicated. Technically this _shouldn’t_ happen at all. But given the opportunity Six couldn’t deny the overwhelming desire she felt for him now. Even though they hadn’t had a chance to bathe in days and had sand places they didn’t want it.

“Agreed.”

“I can’t believe I’m fucking doing this.”

“I’ll set up one bed roll for the night. I put traps and mines up around the camp and we’re isolated enough that neither of us needs to take watch for the night.”

“You can still set up two bed rolls. Just because we’re…doesn’t mean I am actually going to sleep next to you.”

Without seeing his smile she could hear it in his voice. “You won’t want to be going anywhere when I am done with you.”


	2. Exposed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement!

Six didn’t mind that she couldn’t remember her first kiss or her first fuck. But she remembered very well everyone she slept with after the bullets. Sunny became her new first, the night before she left Goodsprings. Whenever she could she still visited her friend and sometimes lover. Next was an NCR soldier, she couldn’t remember his name, after she had convinced the NCR and the Khans to make temporary peace with one another. Decorum was forgotten when the sun went down and the bottles were opened. She and Boone sat with the group of soldiers, her laughing and giving out casual touches and him frowning and pounding back his whiskey. Who approached who first was no more now than dust blowing down the road. What mattered was the way his smile was bright even in the dark. It was quick and quiet but exactly what she needed. When they returned to the fire, after most everyone had passed out or left to take watch, she was met with Boone’s jealous rage. And that was how the two of them ended up sleeping together, for a while. Carla's ghost echoed between them so she found other partners when and where she could. Even slept with Benny before she killed him, once she found out that they had been together. So Six was no stranger to sex and had no problem seeking it out when she wanted it. But that was then.

Now she watched, mouth half-open, as Inculta stripped down to nothing. Light and shadows from the campfire dueled for space on his muscles. A lot of muscles. _Is this really happening?_ She hadn’t felt nervous about sex like this before. Or this excited. Her core was throbbing as they stared at one another.

“Stand up.” She complied.

“Strip.” Again she obeyed without hesitation. 

As her clothes fell away, Six watched his cock grow harder. It was both long and thick in a way that made her salivate. Her hands ached with a need to touch him but she couldn’t make her legs move. It was as though she had entered a fever dream. The thought of waking up and not experiencing this snapped her out of it. 

“This is happening?” _What is this is just another desert mirage?_

“Yes.”

They crashed together and it felt like she was being consumed by the force of his lips and his rough fingers. He was easily a foot taller than her so she leapt into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist to reach. His hand tangled in her thick black hair to stretch her neck so he could nip at her darker skin. Six was grateful nobody was around to hear her moaning or see her writhing against one of the worst criminals in the Mojave.

With more tenderness than she ever could have expected her placed her down on the bed roll, keeping his place between her legs. One of his hands eagerly fondled her breast and pinched her nipples, the other grabbed her hip so desperately it was sure to bruise. Inculta aimed for her mouth again but this time she had enough willpower to push him away.

“No. Complications.” She panted against his short hair. If he understood he didn’t exactly show it. His teeth sank down into the soft flesh where her throat met her shoulder. That alone would have left a mouth shaped mark on her, but then he began so suck on the sore skin. Nobody would mistake that mark for anything other than it was: a claim. This was going to be a problem later, but she could hardly be bothered to think about the future. Six cried out and begged him to stop, but ground her hips harder against him.

“Vulpes.”

“What?”

“My name. Use it. Nothing else from now on.”

A possessive growl burrowed into her ear. No man had ever made a sound like that for her before. More wetness flooded her thighs.

“Yes.” She agreed desperately, willing to concede on just about anything if it meant they kept going.

“Yes my little courier. That is all I want to hear from you.”

Vulpes rolled them over so she was on top. She went with the momentum as he turned her around and it became obvious what he wanted when his cock was in her face. There were no commands this time. He spread her labia and licked his way up and down her wet slit. Her loudest moan yet came when he finally settled on her clit, circling it with confident licks. The opportunity was used to tilt his hips forward and the head of his cock was in her mouth before she had even stopped. The salty taste of his pre-cum was better than the days of sweat underneath, but the flavour was soon replaced by her own saliva and more of his arousal. Six took him just far enough that his crown barely reaching down into her throat and then worked the rest of his shaft with her hands. 

How much time passed she couldn’t say. Eventually he pulled her mouth off his cock and flipped her onto her back again. One forearm rested next to her head while he built up the pressure with his fingers. Six was sweating, on the verge of an orgasm, begging him to put his fingers inside of her but he only shook his head and smiled. Something about his smug face denying her while covered in her own slickness set her off. She came with a shout and this time allowed Vulpes to slide his tongue into her mouth once more.

Still buzzing from the tips of her ears to her toes, Six felt him spread her legs wider and wrap her legs around his hips. No time was spent lining himself up or making sure his erection was coated in her wetness. It went from nothing to the head of his cock was suddenly inside her. The sharp burn of him tearing into her made her teeth clamp down in the same spot that he bit her. Aggressive thrusts had him fully seated inside her in moments, and then he stopped so they could both take a second to adjust. Six tilted her head up to look at his closed eyes, the effort to stay still clear on his face, and was just baffled. _Vulpes Inculta made me come. He’s inside me right now._ Out loud she pleaded with him to move.

Her lover wasted no time pulling out to the tip then slamming his cock as far in as it would go. Apparently Vulpes liked dirty-talk, because he couldn’t stop praising her body. How tight she was, how it amazed him that she could take all of him inside of her, and how badly he wanted to see his seed drip between her legs. She hated the way her walls clenched down on him when he said that. Six wanted children someday, but she couldn’t even fathom having them any time soon. No less with a murderer. She had to put a stop to his fantasies and her own before it got out of hand.

“Yes you like that, don’t you? I can feel your womb telling me so. I’m going to fuck you and fill you with my seed over and over again.” He circled one of her nipples, eliciting more sounds from her. It was definitely just that. Nothing he said.

“Vulpes. You can’t.”

“Why?” The pace of his hard thrusts didn’t miss a beat.

“Because…” For people with penises it was impossible to tell whether or not they were fertile. They either had kids or they didn’t. But for people with vaginas, anyone who actually got a regular period every month (some didn’t get one at all) had a real shot at getting pregnant. It was the kind of thing Six made a point of keeping to herself. She didn’t want people to look at her like she was a walking baby factory. There was a certain type of attention she preferred to avoid. 

“I knew I chose well. You’re fertile. My courier.” Burying his face into the bedroll, he grabbed her hips and began to fuck her with even more ferocity. Deeper than she thought she could handle. As if he was digging for treasure. The mix of pain and pleasure pushed her mind even deeper into a haze of desire.

“Vulpes. You can’t. Please.”

“I have to. You are mine.”

She cried out as she felt his wet heat fill her, eking out another orgasm from her as well. Vulpes slowed down, and let his weight sink into her. They were both breathing heavily. At some point their pace synced up. He didn’t pull out of her. Instead he nuzzled his nose down into her messed up hair and sighed. Some sort of latin tumbled out between her wavy locks. Six knew she had to push him away, but couldn’t muster up the strength to do so.

“I told you not to.” She was still trying to catch her breath.

“It’s the proof Caesar needs. Tomorrow he will see how I’ve marked you, he’ll see my seed dried between your legs, and no one can deny I have claimed you as mine.”

That was just the right motivation to make Six wriggle under him and push him off. Vulpes finally pulled out of her and snuggled into her side. Out of shame she squeezed her thighs together as she felt copious amounts of come leak out. Her enemy slipped his hands between her clamped legs and started pushing it back in.

“You can’t clean yourself. We can have a bath tomorrow when we get to the Fort.” 

_We, huh?_ She was getting angrier with each word that came out of his mouth. “I’m pretty sure the marks we left on each other would have been proof enough. Don’t lie to me Inculta.”

“You are the person I lie to the least.”

Six knew it was a mistake. She should have held onto her anger instead of letting him kiss her and then hold her close in his small bed roll. But at least she could fall asleep knowing it wasn’t the biggest mistake she had made that day.

*****

Morning came to Vulpes first. Whenever the sun rose so did he. Many years ago he trained his body to do this, so it was second nature to him now. He tensed and released his muscles a few times, taking stock of his body and where he was. In the same position he fell asleep in, curled around his woman.

He awoke to the best possible outcome from his gamble last night. Vulpes was not a gambling man until he met the courier. Since then he’s been taking risks and chances with no guarantee of the results. While he could adapt to any circumstances, he hated not having control over the situation. Six had no idea the hold she had over him. The days he’s spent following and observing her when he could have delegated it to one of his men. The nights she has plagued his mind. The invisible hand gripping his when he spills himself onto his stomach or a wall. It was laughable when she told him not to get obsessed because he was far beyond that. Vulpes had to have her in a way he had never needed anyone.

Her scent was salty and sweet, but more so she smelled like him. He nuzzled her neck and then began to lightly suck on her earlobe. Vulpes had spent days trying to figure out what to say to her that would give him what he wanted. So he settled on the truth. Not the whole truth, of course. Six didn’t need to know the depth of his desires. Likewise she did not need to know about the claiming ritual yet, which would make her his wife in fact and not just as a ruse. Using honesty instead of his usual cunning charm and manipulation he could guarantee her protection. From other Legion members and from herself. He knew she had no intention of siding with Legion and nothing would ever change her mind. But he couldn’t bring himself to even consider defecting, not even for her. So when the time came and the Legion took over the Mojave, he would already have assured her place with him. Without a second thought his fingers went down between her legs and slipped inside. She was still wet for him and from him. Vulpes knew he had made the right choice.

Tilting his hips at a different angle he was all the way inside her in one thrust. His courier awoke with a cry and ground her hips against him. She mumbled his name, waking up as he slowly eased his way in and out of her. He kissed along her jaw and took the opportunity to claim her mouth while she was too sleepy to protest. It was funny to him really, the way she thought she could keep her distance. Last night she was quick to forget everything she said and give into him entirely. As she begged him for more he picked up his pace and wrapped a hand around her to reach her clit. 

“Six. I need-” He could feel her walls fluttering around him, drawing his own orgasm closer. Vulpes needed to fill her with his seed.

“Yes!”

He sucked a new bruise onto her neck while he came inside her. For a time neither of them moved, just waited for their breath to slow. Six was the first to pull away. She didn’t turn to look at him as she stood up and went for her clothes, his come dripping down her thighs. The gamble had won him everything. He had her completely.

*****

They arrived at an empty Cottonwood Cove. The only living beings there besides them were the birds picking at what minuscule amount of meat was left on the Legion corpses. If Inculta was upset about their deaths at her hands, he didn’t show it. Or any other emotion. Once they both got dressed and packed up their camp the pair had returned to familiar silence. Only this time the tension between them was for a very different reason.

Past the stench and the hunks of gore was a relatively untouched dock. Just a small amount of blood spatter by the empty rowboat. She and Boone made sure there were no survivors. Her smile was morbid but proud as Inculta gestured for her to get into the rowboat. Looks like he was going to have to do some extra work today. 

“Ever rowed a boat, Spy Boy?”

“ _Frumentarius_. That was the last time you will be calling me that so close to the Fort.” 

Six couldn’t argue with that. So she glumly drug her fingers through the water while eyeing his arm muscles working out of the corner of her eye.

*****

The Fort was everything she expected, but still nauseating to actually witness. Child soldiers, women as slaves, brutal beatings as casual punishment, and the smell of rot from wounds poorly treated. Everywhere all she could see was Legion red stomping around in the mud. Six was hit by a wave of dizziness. By instinct alone she moved closer to Inculta. _No, Vulpes._ The knee-jerk reaction made her angry with herself, but at least it was the only thing that betrayed her apprehension. Perhaps making sure she had Vulpes’s protection hadn’t been such a mistake after all. 

“I know you are always inclined to be you, but show Caesar respect and don’t forget that while you are here you answer to me.” A firm hand on her lower back guided her up the small hill to Caesar’s tent. Vulpes spoke close to her ear, so nobody else would hear his instructions.

“Yes, Vulpes.” She tried to keep the sarcastic bite out of her voice. 

He entered first while the guard outside made her wait behind. The guard looked her up and down with a mix of disgust and sex-tinged curiosity, but otherwise left her alone. A minute or two passed before a thin, barely clothed slave came out to retrieve her. Six watched the bones in her back shift and vowed internally to free every last slave here.

“Courier. You have kept me waiting.” 

Caesar was an old man. His voice was commanding and his armor showed his authority. But he was just a cranky senior. Six had no doubts he was the most dangerous senior she had ever met, but an old guy nonetheless. It calmed her down a bit. She gave a single small nod to acknowledge what he said, and then let him rant about the damage she had wreaked and how she could make it up to him. She pretended to act intrigued and surprised by the revelation of the bunker that House had already told her about. Then Vulpes finally spoke up.

“My lord, as head of the Frumentarii and a senior officer of the Legion I know I have a responsibility to pass on my legacy.” Six forced herself to remain completely still and kept her eyes on her lover’s face.

“Good. You finally decided to keep your dick somewhere! Well fuck, where is she?” Caesar wasn’t stupid. Six glanced at him to see he had quirked a brow at her. He knew what was going on, but wanted to make them say it.

“I have claimed the courier, and she has agreed to be my mate and stay loyal to me.”

“Really? The woman who stole Nelson from us and killed our man in the NCR will be loyal to us?”

“I will, my lord.” The words tasted vile in her mouth but Six understood the role she had to play.

“Why?” His eyes narrowed. 

“Because I love him.” These are the kinds of words Six never wanted to lie about, but what else would be as convincing?

“I think you love power.” Six kept her face neutral. “And you clung to the most powerful man you could find at the time. Wise choice, Courier. Few other men could or would offer you shit when we ascend to glory.”

Both she and Vulpes were both on edge, waiting. She could sense his nervous anticipation just by her nearness. It didn’t occur to her before they entered this room that one of the great terrors of the Mojave might not be as powerful as he seemed. After all, it appeared he was waiting for Caesar’s approval, if not permission. 

“I had been looking forward to coming up with a punishment for the courier. But if she’s swearing herself to our empire through your cock, who am I to come between ‘love’.” 

The old man sneered and all the officers around him laughed. Except Vulpes. But she saw his sly, perverted smirk when she glanced his way. There was nothing for her to do but endure the humiliation, which could only get worse.

“So, women. You’ve seen his masterpieces at Nipton and Searchlight. Doesn’t that conflict with your precious morals?” Caesar picked at his nails as if they were more interesting than anything she could say.

“Vulpes has helped me see things in a different light.”

“Oh really. What light is that?”

“There is more than one way to rebuild civilization. Sometimes certain actions are necessary to make that happen. Vulpes showed me that the reality of the world isn’t as black and white as I thought.” She left it at that, unwilling to offer Caesar any sort of praise. Besides it was a partial truth. Before this trip she never would have considered the things she found herself doing now. But there was a grey area when it came to morality. The ends would justify the means. As long as she kept those means to herself.

“Then you understand that as head of the Frumentarii he is required to fuck other women to accomplish his missions. But you are not permitted to sleep with other men.”

If Six truly loved him as she said, she would have gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Instead she just inclined her head once again to show she understood. There were no illusions on her end about the temporary nature of their sexual relationship. Caesar gripped his throne a bit tighter in response to her absence of a real answer. If he wanted to hurt her, he would have to try harder.

“Tell me, Vulpes. You don’t want a piece of this ass anymore.” Caesar snapped and a particularly beautiful and better-cared for slave came out from behind a curtain. Six had to assume she was a high-ranking officer’s personal slave. She only hoped that this woman was not with Vulpes. It would be a lot harder to stay in character if she had to watch Vulpes deal with slaves personally. Six would be more inclined to free them than collect intelligence. Once the woman was at Caesar’s side he tore at her clothes until she was nude. “She gave you many good nights, I recall.”

“She did. I thank you for lending me use of your personal slave. But I have no need of her now.” Vulpes approached Six and pushed the long hair off her nearest shoulder. Her dark hair had been hiding what love bites her armour didn’t cover. For extra show, he took and obvious and deep sniff of her hair.

“You know. I expected this great warrior, the one who has been terrorizing my men, not to be a profligate whore the size of a child.” Six despised when people poked fun at her small height. She barely cleared 5’2. Not to mention the sex- shaming comment. This time she couldn’t restrain her frown. “But at least she looks like a woman under all that junk.”

“The courier indeed has…all the assets you could want from a good slave. All the proof you require is between her legs.”

“Good.” Caesar gestured at her with a dismissive hand. “Hurry up.”

Six was at a loss for what to do, for a moment. And then she was full of rage. Vulpes nodded at her and she knew that the ‘proof’ he hadn’t let her wipe away was now public viewing on Caesar’s say so. Instead of showing her regret or shame, she removed all her clothes and kept her eyes locked on the dictator’s the whole time. _Fuck you if you think this is enough to break me._

All the bites, bruises, and scratches were on display like she was the piece of meat they expected her to be. Taking off her underwear had actually been something of a relief though. The semen had begun to flake and itch hours ago. The old man leaned forward in his chair as though he was contemplating something important by getting a closer peak. Then he sat back and started to laugh. Some of the unease started to dissipate from the air.

“By Mars, Vulpes she fucking reeks of you.” He snapped his fingers in front of the other nude woman’s face. “Get her a bath. She needs to be ready for the ceremony.”

Ruse or not, Vulpes didn’t deign to meet her eyes as she was guided away. He never mentioned anything about a ceremony. This was taking it a lot farther than just ‘proof’.

*****

‘Ceremony’ sounded a lot like a wedding in theory. In fact it felt a lot like a wedding in practice too. The priestesses scrubbed her down in the bath, removed hair from almost everywhere on her body (she drew the line at pubic hair), and then rubbed her in sweet-smelling oils. They spoke only Latin to one another as they styled her natural loose waves into an uncomfortable braided updo. None of her questions were answered. The women rubbed gold on her eyes and red on lips to shush her. Then they pulled out a soft, flowing white dress and Six’s suspicions were all but confirmed. _You are a stupid, stupid person_.

The ceremony itself consisted of a small gathering of Caesar’s most important and available men. Six could at least breathe a sigh of relief over Lanius’s absence. She didn’t think she’d be able to stay her hand from killing the worst monster of them all. Priestesses and some slaves were in attendance as well. She held no animosity for them. They didn’t know it yet, but she would free them all as soon as she was able.

Everything was spoken in Latin. She had no idea what was going on and knew that probably suited the sexist soldiers just fine. Nothing more was required from her than the occasional nod and an attempt not to look bored. It didn’t exactly resemble what she had read about Roman marriage in a history book she had, but it was clear Caesar only picked what suited his own view of morality rather than revive authentic Roman culture. 

The ceremony came to a close as she and Vulpes clasped hands and drank something heady and sweet from the same cup. Then a struggling slave girl was brought before them and she had a terrible feeling that knew what came next. Caesar himself slit her throat and let her life leak out on the ground before them. Six had to swallow down her nausea and hatred and blink away her burning tears. If she had any clue this was going to happen, she would have given Vulpes the slip before they ever made it to Cottonwood Cove.

Before the blood had even finish spreading she was lead to a feast, with Vulpes’s stern hand on her lower back. He pulled her into his lap and they picked at food from the same plate. There was a lack of appetite on her part, but she wasn’t too sure why Vulpes was hardly touching their food. It was a struggle not to slouch and show her defeat. Six was a confident woman, but she had never felt so trapped and remorseful in her life. She sipped water from a clay mug, ignoring the cup that contained some of whatever they had earlier. On the other hand Vulpes emptied his own cup of the wine-like drink. Everyone called her Livia now. Leaning to whisper in her ear Vulpes told her it was his duty to give her a Roman name. _“I’ve always thought Livia was beautiful.”_ As if that would make the name grate against her soul any less. Against her body she could feel his erection swell. After what had just happened it repulsed her, but she couldn't move away without being obvious. Vulpes gently stroked her thigh throughout the whole ordeal. Whether it was to comfort her or himself she couldn’t guess.

“Alright Vulpes. You may have a few minutes alone with you bride before we come to witness the consummation. Go on.”

Six climbed out of his lap and squeezed his hand tighter than what would be comfortable for him as he guided her to his tent.

*****

“What the fuck Vulpes!? You didn’t say shit about any kind of ceremony! You said we could pretend we were interested in marriage and kids but worry about that later! Fucking asshole.” 

His wife smacked his chest repeatedly and then flopped down on his bed, dejected stare aimed at the ceiling. “Why did I ever think I could trust you?”

“Six. Please.” He laid down next to her and laid a hand above her heart. “Forgive me. I knew it was a likely possibility, but I didn’t want to scare you away in case it didn’t occur.”

“Didn’t it occur to you that this would make me hate you more than I already do?”

Of course she felt that way. He knew he had made a mistake by not warning her about this. Their truce was tenuous at best, but he wanted her so badly. Vulpes was so glad he drank that night. It lessened the slap of her anger. A man’s wedding night was the only time the Legion was allowed to drink and he took advantage. The warm, fuzzy feeling flooded him before they even left the table. He thanked Mars it hadn’t impeded his thinking, much.

“I took a calculated risk and I chose wrong. I will apologize forever if that’s what you need me to do. But I do not regret being bound to you.” _All my life is a series of calculated risks. But they have given me almost everything I want._

Livia, Six, sat up and turned to face him. He followed suit. When she brought her exposed legs up onto the bed he began to caress them. His wife didn’t push him away so he took it as a good sign.

“Vulpes…I told you not to not to…”

“Not to become obsessed with you? Six, by Mars, you are the only woman for me. I love-”

“Don’t.” Six covered her eyes with one hand. She was starting to feel hot to the touch and a looked more than a little dazed. “This is all too much for me to process right now. We can talk about this when we get some real alone time. Right now I need you to tell me what was in that drink and what happens now.”

“It’s wine.” He gestured to a jug and two glasses on the bedside table. When she turned away he shifted on the bed, realizing with a bit of embarrassment that his erection would have been obvious if she had paid attention.“With an additive. Something the priestesses put in as an aphrodisiac. It guarantees that I can…perform…with an audience and that you won’t make it difficult for me to do so. I would have told you before if I could have. Once Caesar decided that we were to be wed tonight, there was no chance for me to explain things. It is not usually like this.”

“Okay. I can accept that. You fucked up and then it went too fast for you to try to fix it. I was there. But I need to hear you say exactly what happens next.”

“Soon Caesar, perhaps Lucius, and a few priestesses will come to witness the consummation to make sure we are fulfilling our duty to the Legion.” 

“Making babies and showing me who’s boss. Great.” Six looked over again at the jug and frowned at is as if it could improve her circumstances. Getting up she poured and chugged a full cup.

“You are getting way more out of this bargain than I am. Too much more. Things I didn’t agree to. If you really…care about me, if you really want to make it up to me, I’m going to need some favours that stay between you and me.” 

Vulpes was sure she was going to ask for access to things that could get them both killed. It was wishful thinking that he could have ever gained her loyalty. Not to the Legion, but to him as her husband. While he wasn’t a man who fell victim to such things in normal circumstances, Six had long since been the exception to his rules. Any chance he had of turning her towards his side was ruined by his unusually inelegant scheming. But there would be time to deal with that later. 

“I will do what I can for you. But consider your favours carefully. I will be loyal to you, but I still have a duty towards my nation.”

“Loyal to me, huh?” For the first time since before Cottonwood she smiled. But more importantly, the smile was for him. Perhaps it was not so hopeless after all.

He returned her smile with a sly grin. The call of the wine and his libido had been ignored long enough. “We only have a few minutes left. Take off your clothes and I can start working on those favours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another smuthanger. A cliffhanger that alludes to smut. 
> 
> Sidenote: Coming inside someone without their consent is sexual assault, hence the tags.


	3. Darkness, Everywhere I Look

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to split the last chapter in half. It just made sense. Here's a shorter one, with a conclusion coming soon!

Six almost didn’t notice Caesar and a few others enter the tent. Vulpes had his face and fingers buried between her thighs. The wine had kicked in about a minute earlier for her and it took her from a little buzzed to the wettest thing in the desert in seconds. Massaging her nipples she demanded he keep going. She bucked against his face a few more times and then came with his name on her lips. Caesar and another man laughed while she writhed through the waves. That was the moment she really became aware of their audience. Some of the fog started to melt away as she watched the men and priestesses alike run their eyes over her body. She gasped and reached for Vulpes. 

“On your knees. Face on the bed.” 

For the brief moments they had alone he mentioned expectations before he found his way to her pussy. She knew he would be harsh. Caesar wanted to be sure that she was under his thumb. The rush the wine gave her made her crave the most intensity he could offer her. Maybe some of the guilt at her actions and shame over her pleasure contributed to it. Six was not into kinks like her friend Beatrix, but right then she wanted anything but tenderness.

Like their previous times together, he was as deep as he could penetrate within the first thrust. Despite the horny, woozy feeling she was trying to swim through, Six also had a strange kind of clarity with certain things. The head was so thick she felt her body struggle to accept the way he stretched her. It burned in that way that she hated with others but somehow needed with him. As if it should remind her that being with him should be a struggle and should hurt. Unlike their first time, Vulpes gave her no time to adjust. Faster and harder than before he pounded her into the furs on the bed. She heard herself saying his name over and over like it was coming from some far away person. Her husband was uncharacteristically quiet, nothing more than a few muted grunts. Neither of them sounded like themselves. Or at least the version of themselves that they had discovered over the last 24 hours.

The sound of the slap on her ass reverberated around the tent and pulled a few chuckles from their audience. When she screamed and squeezed him tighter, he told her to shut up. Before she could even remember that she wasn’t supposed to protest, Six was flipped onto her back. It was abrupt and hard enough that it knocked the air from her lungs. Caesar wanted to see “her tits bounce” so Vulpes had no choice but to comply. Her body still felt like it was floating in space but her mind was beginning to remember the horror of where she was and what was happening. Tears began to burn hot trails down the side of her face. Her spine became tingly and cold; the iciness seeping into every limb. Somehow she had travelled to another planet, the wrong planet.

But he noticed. His body covered hers, his head on the mattress above Six’s. She lost sight of her torturers and they didn’t have a clear view of her anymore either. Whispering into her hair, she felt his words as much as she heard them. Everything was wrong but maybe she wasn’t alone.

“Don’t think about them. They’ll be gone soon. I’ll spend forever making this up to you.”

The relief that filled her veins caused everything around her to seem a little more smudged. Vulpes shouted a bunch of Latin and everyone else yelled some kind of legion nonsense in return. After he finished Caesar stood over them and started going on about loyalty, fulfilling duties, and a good show. Behind her closed lids everything fell away. It wasn’t restful, but sleep claimed her.

*****

In retrospect the gentle nudges and low whispers were just a more tender approach at waking her up. But in the immediate moment when her body registered a hand on it, she reacted with violence before her mind had a chance to process it. She rolled over and rolled right into punching Vulpes’s face before throwing herself at him. Her brain hadn’t truly woken up until he was pinned underneath her. There was no struggle. No immediate danger. 

“Oh.” She sure as shit wasn’t going to apologize for that. Not when he had done so much to deserve the bruised jaw he was sure to have. Plus that reflex and instinct is how she survived as long as she had. Nobody else would save her from the Mojave, so she got good at saving herself.

“If you’re so eager, you need only ask.” Hips and something harder ground up into her own body. It almost could have been enough to forget about everything that happened, if it wasn’t for that cocky smirk she was beginning to hate all over again.

“Asking. A concept you all don’t seem to get.” She pushed off him without offering to help him up. Not knowing what else to do with herself, Six stood and stared at the bed. As if she were still cold from trauma she rubbed her arms. If there was any chill, it came from her distorted memory. Even now, the effects of the wine could still be felt.

“I meant what I said.” Six didn’t have to ask him to elaborate. As if she could forget. “I had a bath drawn for you. I assumed you’d want to…feel clean after that.”

“I would ask how you could keep this from me, and let this happen to me, but they call you Fox for a reason.” She spit the bitter words at him, hoping her venom stung.

“If I spend the rest of our lives apologizing would that help?”

“No.” She had to gnaw the inside of her lip to stop herself from telling him this marriage didn’t count to her. It wouldn't work out well for her to lose the only ally she had in this hellish place.

The bath was divine. It was exactly what she needed. The hot water couldn’t wash away the violence of the day, but at least it soothed her aches and her nerves. Vulpes crouched behind the tub and ran a bar of soap up and down her body. Then he washed her hair, taking the time to massage her scalp. The whole time he was singing something in Latin in a low voice. Hardly louder than a whisper. It seemed almost impossible to reconcile this sweetness with the man who crucified and slaughtered a town just because he didn't agree with their morals. Six was still angry with him, but she didn’t object to any of this. The gentle touch of his hands and the relaxed tone of his voice made her feel safe again. Like the wife she was pretending to be rather than a brahmin waiting to be slaughtered. Her eyes fell closed as she let him nuzzle her neck and nibble on her ears. 

When all pretense of washing was gone, Vulpes massaged slow circles onto her nipples. The extra sensitivity and _need_ from the wine really made itself known as one of his hands crawled down her body. Forgetting herself Six called his name and begged him to never stop. Her husband started whispering filthy things in her ear, about how he wanted to claim her ass and how he _would_ claim her womb. It pushed her over the edge sooner than she expected or was ready for. Six sobbed her release as she felt herself fall apart from the inside out.

“Are you ready for bed now?” Her husband waited to ask until he felt all the waves and pulsing stop. His fingers were still inside her, stroking her through the aftershocks of her climax.

“Yes…” she sighed. A pleased one, rather than the exasperated ones she had been giving him in the days before.

Vulpes helped her stand up and dried her off with a surprisingly soft towel. She expected everything from the Legion to be hard and grate against her skin and her nerves. He guided her to the bed, leaving her side only to blow out the remaining candles. In the darkness it was easier for her to confess.

“Vulpes…I know I shouldn’t, but I forgive you. You should have told me. I’m not ready to forgive you for that. But everything that happened after…that was Caesar’s fault. I know you would have done things differently if you were in charge,”

“How do you know?” There was a nervous but hopeful edge to his voice. Six knew without a doubt how much this marriage meant to him.

“Because I can tell you do have a heart, however twisted. I feel it every time we touch. It would be easy to just hold it all against you, but dishonest. I try to be an honest person whenever my circumstances allow for it.”

It was true. She hated to lie, but understood it's necessity in particular situations.

“Six-”

“You should probably just call me Livia while we’re here, Spy Boy.” She smirked at him, knowing he could sense it if not see it in the darkness. He squeezed her tighter, spooning her from behind. The warmth of his body and his feelings for her chased away any remaining sense of cold.

“I can’t say the words that you want me to say. And I can’t make any promises about what the future looks like for us. But right now, in this moment, I can’t lie to myself. I do feel something for you. I’ve never had this with anyone else. This connection I feel when you’re touching me…I don’t regret discovering that.”

The heavy weight she was carrying suddenly disappeared. Tomorrow she would deny having ever said any of that. But for the rest of the night Six just wanted to pretend that they were two normal lovers. The whole conversation she felt his thick erection pressing against her, but he made no move to do anything about it. So she took matters into her own hands, rubbing her ass against him and reaching behind to squeeze his cock until he was guiding it into her.

They slept in short cycles, until one woke up the other for sex. For a little while Six could believe that they were perfect.


	4. There Ain't No Closure In The Wasteland

As she knew she would, Six woke up feeling irritable, remorseful, and confused as a molerat in a casino. She couldn’t disentangle herself from Vulpes and his blankets fast enough, even if it meant falling onto the floor in a pile. There was no mistaking his sharp laugh buried beneath her and the bedding. She wasn’t sure how she ended up on top and the frumentarius on the ground, but she would take what she could get. Scrambling away Six made sure there was as much distance as she could put between them in this tent before he got up.

“This is not how I hoped to be woken up the morning after my wedding.”

“Well this isn’t how I want to be woken up ever.” 

She pulled on her dress from the previous night. It was better than dressing in her normal, clean clothes when her body was a total mess. Vulpes on the other hand seemed content to make her uncomfortable with his nudity, dried fluids and all. Looking away only to fix the chaos of his bed, he stared her down. Neither looked away.

“I see we are back here, courier.” His bitterness made her see red.

“What the fuck were you expecting? The first two times were fun, but I didn’t agree to watch a girl get slaughtered than get drugged to have sex in front of a megalomaniacal bastard! This is so far beyond what you led me to believe it would be.”

Six’s anger was returned in full force. “Did you think trying to infiltrate the Legion would be easy? Did you expect to walk in here and just get what you want for nothing? Have you considered the fact that I was also taking a risk in our _mutually beneficial_ arrangement?”

He crossed the modest tent to tower over her. As if she could be intimidated by him now, after she knew how he liked to have his nipples nibbled or the way he pushed his cum back inside of her with his long fingers. Six pushed her hands against his chest but he wouldn’t move.

“So the rest of the night didn’t matter to you? You don’t care about me?”

At that Six’s hands softened from shoving to resting on his pectorals. His face betrayed nothing but she remembered how uncharacteristically emotional and vulnerable he had been with her last night. Even if they didn’t talk much, she could read it in his eyes and his touch. 

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to go in angry circles about this. Let me do what I came here to do, and then we can talk and figure out what comes next. You’ve ensured my safety, I’ve helped you status, but we both still need each other’s help.”

Her sort-of-maybe husband was still tense, but he rubbed her arms and kissed her the top of her head nonetheless. Then he turned away to grab his own clothing from the day prior.

“I’ll go get breakfast and have a slave bring a bath for us. You have a couple of minutes to search my belongings for whatever it is you think you can find. But please, be careful about what you do with any knowledge of the Legion you gain from this trip. I have to be alive in order to become Caesar. If you make me look bad or hurt the Frumentarii, there is only one person here often enough for Caesar to assign the blame to.” He gave her a cool nod and exited the tent.

Of course Six had already considered that. Hearing him say it gave her pause though. She gave herself only a moment to worry about that before she began collecting some intelligence of her own. Too much of her time had already gone towards things other than her real goal.

*****

Even after a hot bath, where they decided without discussion to just enjoy the relief offered by touch and closeness, Six was still feeling tender from the night before. The wine made them both less cautious about using their bodies, and Vulpes could be vicious when he wanted to. In all aspects of his life. Without any stimpaks left to heal up any of the rawness from the bites and scratches or Med-X to temporarily distract her from the cramping she felt from the some of the rough angles her took her at, Six had not gone into the bunker the best version of herself.

At least she had done it alone. Vulpes tried to persuade and then force his way in with her. Whether over misplaced concern over her safety, or the more likely scenario that he wanted to be on equal footing and learn the secrets of the bunker, the spy was determined to get it. She had to promise him all kinds of things to get him to let her take care of business without him. The secrets hidden down there for hundreds of years were meant for her eyes only. After dealing with Vulpes’s annoying persistence, turning off the security measures and upgrading the securitrons was easy. She was flooded with relief when she realized she could get through without fighting, but it quickly left her once she remembered that she still had to make the long trip home.

One of the deals she made to get him to back off was allowing him to accompany her through the desert. Vulpes travelled with her back towards the Strip, though they planned to part ways at Freeside. It was expected of him, to be watchful of the woman who was to be his mate and could be carrying his child. Partly for protection of her as a person. More so as assurance of her as property. Despite the bizarre surprises of this trip, the strength of her resolve to crush the Legion had not wavered. She just had to get a few more puzzle pieces in place, a few more months of work, and she and the NCR would be ready. Six personally intended to tear Caesar and Lanius apart. But she hadn’t made up her mind on how to deal with Vulpes once he became Caesar. It was easier not to think about how he could change things, for better or worse, in her life. Once they separated it would be easier to just not think of him at all.

Unlike their trip to the Fort, their return was peppered with conversation. It seemed pointless to Six to try to re-establish distance after her had been as intimate with her as a person could be. The days were spent establishing the ground rules of their ‘business transaction’, peppered with personal stories and trivial conversations. In Legion territory, she would play her role. But the second they were outside of it they would resume their position as enemies. Six didn’t have to emphasize the importance of her maintaining her reputation with the NCR and all the other groups she had come to know. There was no way she would tell him the real reasons for this, but he understood the strategic importance of having an ally placed where the Legion couldn’t go. They would feed each other small tidbits of information. Not enough to really hurt the sides they were representing, but enough to be useful so that they both made the most of the deal. Six found they actually worked pretty well together when they compromised. It was an excellent distraction during their slog through sand and the bodies they would inevitably leave behind them. Never did Six imagine herself craving the neon lights of the Strip or the anachronistic luxury of the Lucky.

At night all business talk was off the table. All talk at all really. When there was nothing but the moon to judge them they belonged to each other. At least as much as Six would allow. She was still surprised by how the guilt of it all made her crave him like a jet junkie. Sometimes she would tell him that she hated him, between moans. He would whisper to her in Latin and then kiss or nibble on whatever was closest. She had given up trying to keep his lips from hers. It was better than the humiliating distance they had to maintain during the consummation. Plus he seemed intent on having as much of her as he could take, so she would pick her battles. Kissing he could get away with, but he had to pull out.

Unfortunately their nights together also acted as an uncomfortable reminder that Vulpes was much more committed to the whole claiming thing than she was. Once they got past Cottonwood Cove there was no need to keep up the level of intimacy he pushed for. If he just wanted to fuck, she needed no persuasion. Might as well get as much in as she could before she had to start pretending none of this ever happened. But he insisted on sharing a bed roll every night. At times she would find his hand clasping hers and would get grumpy every time she pulled away. And the most baffling (and annoying, quite frankly) was how he had an irrational urge to protect her even though she had killed more than her share of radscoprions and deathclaws. It was the most emotionally confusing experience she had since she had been revived. Six wouldn’t allow herself any romantic attachment to him. Sex and access to enemy information was all she wanted from him. But it was undeniably delicious to have the man whose name strikes all kinds of fear into people’s hearts doting on her in a way she didn’t think he was capable of. 

Best not to linger on it. She would be back on the Strip soon and could mostly wash her hands of the messier parts of this trip. At most Six would make one trip back to the Fort to maintain the ruse. But it would become obvious sooner or later that she had no interest in supporting a bunch of bloodthirsty misogynists. She just had to take a small break from killing Legion soldiers. There was a large possibility that if she decided not to go through with the rest of their plan, or if it didn’t work, the next time she saw Inculta would be from the opposite end of the battlefield. And that would be that. It had to be.

*****

Six was hesitant to enter Freeside together, and protested going to her free room at the Atomic Wrangler. _”What if someone sees us together and recognizes you?” “What if one of my friends hears that I’m back and comes looking for me? They know I was travelling with you.”_ At least she didn’t bother asking how he knew about that. Vulpes pinned her against a wall and used his most convincing tactics to get her to give in. 

Once there she ordered some drinks and gossiped with the Garretts while he met her up at her room. The siblings and unoccupied patrons noticed him, but made no comment on his familiarity with Six or her room. Though it made his blood boil to think about it, he knew that’s where Six brought people she wanted to sleep with. Never to the casino. It’s part of why he insisted on going there. Even though she had hinted multiple times that she didn’t hold their marriage with the same sense of completeness and finality, Vulpes did. He would take his wife over and over in that room until it eradicated all traces of other lovers.

Time was a luxury they never had so he had no interest in wasting any. He removed his mercenary armour and everything beneath. Six’s resistance and reluctance always melted away when she saw his naked body. He knew she loved to trace his abs and his many scars with her tongue. Why wait when they both wanted the same thing?

When she entered the room he didn’t get the response he was hoping for. She took a swig of her beer and started laughing. This room was a curse. 

“I fail to see what it so entertaining about this?” His erection was wilting. Vulpes knew ego was his weakness. Ego and his desperate need for his Livia.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that this is going exactly how I thought it would.” She was still chuckling but started taking off her own clothing. “It’s okay. I want it too. But we have to talk after.” 

_As if we haven’t ‘talked’ enough._ Vulpes yanked her down to the bed and smacked her ass for laughing at him. Now his cock was fully erect again and ready to seed her. If this was the last chance he would get for a while (possibly until the dam), he wouldn’t waste it.

“Yes, wife.”

*****

She felt as though she was ripped open and exposed to the universe. Vulpes moved his thumb from her clit to grip her hips and move her how he wanted. Six tried her best to keep riding him through the waves of pleasure bursting through her. 

“I need to come inside you.” Six replied with his name as a heated sigh. “I want to see you swell with my son. Give yourself to me, Six.”

It was a bad decision. But it was a bad decision she had already made a couple times before. Whenever they were fucking she felt like she was drowning in him. What he wanted, she wanted. She could almost see herself through his eyes. Six felt like more, like the only other person in the world. So she nodded her head and decided to worry about the consequences later.

Pulling her to his chest he shouted her name. It felt right, as their hearts beat against one another. But reality sunk back in as the sweat started to cool. She rolled off him and knew she would have to have a talk with Arcade very soon about her recklessness. Inculta tried to pull her back but she was already off the bed, cleaning herself up.

“You _are_ my wife. Regardless of what happens, you are mine.” _So he knows exactly which way the wind is blowing._

“When you talk about me like you own me, it makes me worried you don’t really want to change things.” She took a swig of the beer that she had forgotten about and tapped the top against her lips.

“In the eyes of the Legion you are my property, but in my eyes you are my equal. If you just stay with me, I’ll prove it to you.” Six couldn’t tell whether or not he meant for her to travel with him or if he was asking her about the long term.

“I have things I have to do before I can return to the Fort. I still need to deal with House.”

Inculta looked away from her, and when he met her eyes again he had that all too familiar blank stare. _He knows. He knows I haven’t made up my mind about helping him become Caesar. He knows I haven’t decided what to do about him after the war is over. Am I that obvious? He knows._ “Very well. Stay safe, courier, my wife.”

“Wait. I thought we were going to talk?” 

“What is there left to say? Do you have anything you wish to say to me?”

Everything Six wanted to discuss had been forgotten. It seemed wrong to leave things like that, but she supposed it would make things easier. She needed space to clear her head and get back on track. He got dressed and pressed his lips to her forehead then left.

*****

It was easy enough for Six to edge around the truth. She knew it was still lying if it was done by omission, but it would be easier than explaining what she had done. What she allowed to happen. All Six wanted was a shower, but it was clear she’d have to endure interrogation first. When they saw the hickeys ( _Thanks, asshole)_ that shone like beacons above her armour they flooded her with questions. Boone in particular started getting aggressive in his worry. He knew too well what the Legion did to women. Carla’s memory and the pain was obviously still fresh, despite the ways he tried to move forward. 

“It’s not a big deal. Don’t worry about it. I was in a difficult situation and I figured it out. No real harm done.” _Just shrug away their questions until they get bored enough or frustrated enough to drop it._

__

“Well are you going to tell us about it? Or am I just going to have to punch every Legion asshole until I get some answers?” Veronica looked beautiful in one of the many dresses Six found for her. One hand held Cass’s, the other was a fist enthusiastically punching at no particular target. Cass was torn between smiling at her endearing girlfriend and giving Six _The Look_ saying that she wasn’t fooled. 

“I really don’t want to talk about any of that trip honestly. The Legion was a fucking horrifying mess and I’d prefer to just move forward.” They argued and were clearly not impressed with her answer. But what could they do? “Also I have a fake truce going with them, so we can’t punch any Legion soldiers until the Hoover Dam. Or until they figure me out.” 

That was met with even more protest. Boone knocked the contents off a counter and threatened to leave. So the usual dramatics. Six was so exhausted that all she could manage was an eye roll at that. One that nobody missed. “Listen, I know it’s fucked up, okay? But if it makes them think we’re not the enemy, they might slip up and give us some good information and make the battle easier later. The goal is to lose the least amount of lives possible on our side. I’m doing everything I can to make that happen. More than I would ask of any of you. So can you at least cut me some slack?” 

The only person who had been quiet so far was Raul. For all his sarcasm and discontent, he was her rock. She could always rely on him no matter what it was. He just seemed to get the way her mind worked. Maybe it was because Raul had been around and seen it all already. Finally he spoke up. 

“Okay boss. You know what you’re doing. And _we_ know how to follow orders.” 

There was a bit of grumbling after that, but Raul had a knack for reminding everyone what was important without saying it outright. So they remembered she had gotten them this far and shut up like she wanted. Six didn’t blame them for worrying. But right then wasn’t the ideal time. They gave her the space she so badly needed after that. Everyone but Arcade, who she asked to follow her up to the penthouse to look at her ‘wounds’. 

They barely stepped off the elevator before he demanded to know what was really going on. _What were best friends for if not seeing right through your bullshit?_ She sighed and waved him over to the bar. 

“I’m going to tell you what happened. And nobody else. I know you’re going to think I’ve lost my mind, but I swear I haven’t.” There was no energy left to do anything other than cut straight to the chase. Splitting up with Vulpes left her feeling exhausted in a way she hadn’t anticipated. 

“Yes, yes. I know the drill. This isn’t the first time we’ve had one of these chats.” Arcade gave her his ‘I’m going to humour you but I still think you’re crazy” smiles. 

“Yeah and it probably won’t be the last.” She began to rub her face with one hand before she released exactly who she picked up that habit from. Instead she laid her head on her arms on the counter. 

“At least tell me that you haven’t been brainwashed by a bunch of power hungry morons?” The same smile was still on his face, so she knew he wasn’t really doubting her. Even without it she knew his trust wouldn’t waver. 

“Ugh no. But I may have made a couple questionable decisions and need some friend advice and some doctor advice?” Resisting the urge to look away and hide her embarrassment, she met his eyes instead. Especially to convey the importance of the latter. 

“I’m going to hate this, aren’t I?” 

“Yeah. Sorry.” 

***** 

Three months. Three months went by without a single drop of blood. Two months of the awful and mind-boggling mix of constant nausea and unbearable hunger. One month of increased irritability, but at least her cleavage was looking extra good. Six had known better from the start. She should have taken Arcade’s advice. Perhaps buried beneath her denial that there was a problem she did want to have a baby? No, that didn’t sound right. Ever since Six woke up with all that chaos and responsibility dropped into her lap, she had to strategize and organize and control. It was in her nature, but it was much more than that. So many lives depended on it. Maybe she just wanted to see what would happen if she put that mantle down. 

It felt strange to be tied to another person like this. Even if it wasn’t the most legitimate marriage. Six still was firm in her belief that if the Legion forced and officiated it, there was no way it actually counted. However even with that knowledge, she hadn’t felt compelled to sleep with anyone. Not since their uncomfortable goodbye at the Atomic Wrangler. She made no effort to contact him though, despite the urge she felt from time to time. And of course there was this whole mess. Hard not to feel connected to someone when you had a little piece of them with you all the time. 

Halfway through the third month she knew it was time to make a decision and end the war in the desert and the battle inside herself. Just to try it, just to see how it felt, she slept with Boone for the first time in months. It felt so good to be so full again, however brief. But it didn’t scratch that itch for her. He wasn’t right. Afterwards Boone laid on his side, forearm propping up his head, and asked her if it was his. Of course he would know the signs. He was very reserved when he asked. Six knew he wouldn’t ever let himself be so vulnerable again, unless it was for something real. At least he wasn’t let down when she shook her head. 

“So who is the father?” He wouldn’t believe for a second that she didn’t know. “Something happened when you went to meet Caesar, didn’t it? Those sick fucks. I knew I should have come with you.” 

For all his faults, like his short temper, Boone was a good friend. He would protect her, all of them, no matter the cost. Six cupped his face and told him she was glad to have him in her life. 

The next morning she filled a backpack with some supplies and made sure she had an abundance of weapons on her. Boone would wake up next to a note explaining that she had some things to take care of and would hopefully be back in less than two weeks. She didn’t tell him where she was going, but he probably knew. They all would. Hopefully they wouldn’t follow right away. Six took ED-E and Rex with her, so hopefully with the extra support she could travel faster. As she trekked through the sand Six placed a hand on the barely-there swell of her stomach and promised her child she would finish with warring soon. For a while. She had no intentions of retiring. Pushing thoughts of the future aside, she returned to her mental checklist. She had a busy few weeks ahead of her. Three things left to accomplish before she took a well-earned vacation from the chaos. See a man about a baby, kill Caesar, and then win the Hoover Dam for the NCR and their independent allies. In that order. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am planning to short sequels to this! Probably no more than 2-3 chapters each. I'm not sure when I'll have them up, but keep your eye out for them.


End file.
